Images show true extent of I-81 overpass damage

Images show true extent of I-81 overpass damage

A fiery diesel tanker crash ravages an I-81 overpass on a May morning around 6 a.m.

These are images taken from video that News 8 viewer Craig Laudermilch shared.

The driver, a 52-year-old man from Dover, escaped with minor injuries.

Officials estimate that about 7,500 gallons of diesel spilled, fueling a fierce blaze and multiple explosions.

The intense heat caused moisture within the road's concrete to expand rapidly, actually causing chunks of concrete to explode.

The overpass is not stable and needs to be replaced.

The roads in the immediate area will be shut down for days. Officials said I-81 in the vicinity of the Route 22/322 interchange could reopen by early next week.

PennDOT released this and the following images Thursday afternoon, showing the extent of the damage.

News 8 viewer Cody Hoover shared this photo.

PennDOT released this and the following images of the crash scene.

DAUPHIN COUNTY, Pa. -- Parts of Interstate 81 and Route 22/322 in Dauphin County remain closed due to a fiery tanker crash that happened early Thursday -- and repairs to the severely damaged roads will not be complete any time soon.

Westbound Route 22 through the I-81 exit 67 interchange is open. Access to northbound and southbound I-81 from westbound Route 22 is available. Traffic leaving the Harrisburg area by way of westbound Route 22 has access to northbound and southbound I-81 and westbound Route 22/322 toward Dauphin and State College.

The ramp from northbound Interstate 83 to southbound I-81 was reopened about 4:45 p.m. Thursday to allow drivers headed to westbound Route 22/322 to continue to the I-81 exit 67 interchange and take the ramp to westbound Route 22/322 toward Dauphin and State College.

The ramp from northbound I-81 to eastbound Route 22 toward the city of Harrisburg at I-81 exit 67 is open. This accommodates commuters and other drivers who can access northbound I-81 at exit 61 (Route 944/Wertzville Road) and exit 65 (Route 11/15) to continue across the George Wade Memorial Bridge to exit 67 (Cameron Street).

The interchanges at I-81 exit 61 (Route 944/Wertzville Road) and I-81 exit 65 (Route 11/15) are open to traffic. Northbound drivers can go only as far as exit 67 for eastbound Route 22 into Harrisburg.

What is closed? (as of early Friday)

In the I-81 exit 67 interchange, the following remain closed:

*Northbound and southbound I-81.

*For drivers traveling on southbound I-81 from outside the Harrisburg area, southbound I-81 is closed at exit 70 in Dauphin County and drivers are then detoured by way of southbound Interstate 83 on the Capital Beltway to westbound Route 581 back to southbound I-81 in Cumberland County.

*For drivers approaching the Harrisburg area on northbound I-81, northbound I-81 is currently closed at exit 59 in Cumberland County and motorists are then detoured by way of eastbound Route 581 on the Capital Beltway to northbound I-83 back to northbound I-81 in Dauphin County.

*The ramp from southbound I-81 to eastbound Route 22 toward the city of Harrisburg.

*Eastbound Route 22 through the I-81 exit 67 interchange.

*This bridge has been seriously damaged, is no longer safe, and the spans over both northbound and southbound I-81 will be demolished and removed. Prep work started Thursday evening and demolition should start Friday. This work is expected to take a few days to complete before it is safe to allow traffic underneath on I-81. The contractor hired for this assignment is working around-the-clock to remove the bridge to enable PennDOT to reopen I-81 as soon as possible.

*Plans are to build crossovers in the median of Route 22 and make the westbound road one lane in each direction. This work will take a few days to accomplish, especially if rain interferes with the placement of stone and asphalt for the crossovers. When this is accomplished, there will be one lane for eastbound Route 22 traffic through the interchange into Harrisburg and one lane for westbound traffic through the interchange heading toward Dauphin.

*The ramp from northbound I-81 to westbound Route 22/322.

*This is the ramp where the tanker truck overturned and caught fire. The deck was destroyed and must be replaced. Plans are to remove the deck of the bridge span over I-81 over the next few days. It may also be necessary to remove the entire superstructure of the bridge (this includes the beams). Traffic will not be allowed on I-81 under this bridge until this is accomplished.

*The eastbound Route 22 bridge over I-81 into Harrisburg is closed, but eastbound drivers on Route 22 can access the ramps for both northbound and southbound I-81 in the I-81 exit 67 interchange.

Some Turnpike tolls waived

Due to the I-81 closure, the Turnpike between Harrisburg East (exit 247) and Carlisle (exit 226) is being used as an alternate route. As a result, tolls are being waived for drivers who enter and exit at those two interchanges only.

Tolls are not being waived for any other Turnpike travel in the region. Vehicles entering at either Harrisburg West (exit 242) or Gettysburg Pike (exit 236) do not get free Turnpike travel if they exit at Harrisburg East or Carlisle.

The toll waiver is restricted to the Harrisburg East and Carlisle Interchanges to avoid adding to the congestion on Interstate 83 and Route 15. The toll waiver will be in place until Interstate I-81 reopens.

Normal tolling processes apply during the waiver. E-ZPass customers must use E-ZPass lanes and cash customers must use the cash lanes, take a ticket at entry and surrender that ticket to a collector at exit. Drivers must present a ticket at exit for the toll to be waived.

Wildwood Park remains closed

Wildwood Park, which is owned and operated by Dauphin County, will remain closed through Sunday while the park is cleaned up after the tanker fire caused fuel to leak into Paxton Creek and along the banks of the lake in the park.

Governor talks about repairs

Gov. Tom Corbett said it's not certain when all the roads will reopen, saying public safety is the priority. He said there is "no clear timetable" for repairs.

The fire damaged two overpasses that crisscross over I-81. One of them was so severely damaged that there is a danger it could collapse.

Transportation Secretary Barry Schoch said the crash damaged a section of Route 22-322 westbound and a ramp to it from I-81. Schoch says he hopes I-81 can reopen early next week after a section of Route 22-322 above it is removed. He also hopes by Monday to convert one of the two unaffected Route 22-322 eastbound lanes into a westbound lane. He says the detour could last a couple months.

Officials took steps Thursday to alleviate the traffic mess. Starting at 4 p.m. Thursday, the turnpike waived tolls between the Harrisburg East and Carlisle exits to alleviate traffic on the Capitol Beltway. However, about 5:30 p.m. Thursday, a separate truck fire was causing serious delays on the Turnpike. That story is here.

Cumberland County officials monitor traffic

On Thursday, the Cumberland County Public Safety Department activated its Emergency Operations Center to handle the traffic situation created by the tanker fire.

Officials used a mapping software program that uses satellite images to see which roads would most likely become congested for the evening commute. The GIS mapping program helped officials decide where to deploy fire police to manage traffic.

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